Cooking Matters for Kids Improves Attitudes and Self-Efficacy Related to Healthy Eating and Cooking

Abstract

Objective: To assess changes in self-efficacy and attitudes related to healthy eating and cooking in Cooking Matters for Kids participants.

Design: Prepost study design.

Setting: Cooking Matters for Kids programs offered by 35 organizations.

Participants: Predominantly third- to fifth-grade children participating in Cooking Matters for Kids lessons during fiscal years 2012-17 with matched presurvey and postsurveys (n = 18,113).

Intervention(s): Cooking Matters for Kids consists of six 2-hour experiential nutrition and cooking education lessons.

Main outcome measure(s): Self-efficacy related to healthy eating and cooking and attitudes toward healthy foods assessed through the Cooking Matters for Kids Participant Survey.

Analysis: Changes from the presurvey to postsurvey were assessed using mixed models and repeated measures ordered logistic regression accounting for clustering by course. Effect sizes were calculated using Cohen d for repeated measures. A Bonferroni adjustment was used to correct for multiple comparisons (α = 0.025).

Results: Both overall and individual self-efficacy and attitude scores improved from presurvey to postsurvey (P < 0.0001). The effect sizes were 0.35 for overall self-efficacy score and 0.17 for overall attitude score.

Conclusions and implications: Participation in Cooking Matters for Kids was associated with improvements in self-efficacy and attitudes related to healthy eating and cooking.

Keywords: child, healthy eating; nutrition education, cooking.